Redeeming The Time

By: Richard Mirpuri

 

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)

This expression—“redeeming the time”—occurs also in Colossians 4:5: “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” The Greek word for “redeem” means to “buy back,” to “ransom,” or even to “rescue.” As in our redemption and salvation by the blood of our Lord shed on the cross. In our text, the focus is on time as being a very valuable asset, in danger of being lost forever unless it is rescued or redeemed. As a matter of fact, time is the most valuable asset we have. If we squander our money or lose our health, there is always the possibility of earning more money or being restored to health, but wasted time is gone forever! In our text, we are told that those who are wise redeem the time, whereas those who are fools waste or misuse it. The word in the original for “circumspectly” is translated “diligently” in Matthew 2:7. The text thus indicates that those who redeem the time are walking diligently; the parallel passage in Colossians 4:5 says they are walking in wisdom. The time that God gives us, therefore, should be used both carefully in wisdom and diligently in the Lord. Every single day of our lives is vitally important in the plan of God. “So,” as Moses prayed to the Lord, “teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). One of the ways many often waste a lot of their time is in the area of worry. In First Peter 5:6–7, Peter commands, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”. This passage of Scripture is bursting with hope and comfort. When I am tempted to worry, I often meditate on it. And when I come alongside people who are full of anxieties, I share this verse with them. But understanding why that passage is filled with hope and comfort requires a mini-grammar lesson: What is the relationship between humility and anxiety?

In English, the verse has two sentences with two parallel commands:
1. Humble yourselves . . . .
2. Cast all your anxiety on him . . . .

But in the original Greek, it is only one sentence with only one command: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (ESV, emphasis added). When we analyze the verse, we find that there is a main command, which is: “Humble yourselves.” And so we ask this question: What is the relationship between humbling ourselves under his mighty hand and casting our anxieties on him.

Here are five options:
1. In terms of Manner: “Humble yourselves . . . in a casting manner”
2. In terms of Condition: “Humble yourselves . . . if you cast”
3. In terms of Result: “Humble yourselves . . . with the result that you cast”
4. In terms of Purpose: “Humble yourselves . . . for the purpose of casting”
5. In terms of Means: “Humble yourselves . . . by means of casting”

Perhaps “means” makes the best sense in the context of the verse. Peter’s sentence gushes with applicational significance if you simply add the little word “by” before “casting”: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, (by) casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Let’s trace the argument:
• Humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand.
• For what purpose should you humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand? So that at the proper time God may exalt or lift you up.
• How should you humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand? By casting, releasing all your anxieties on God.
• Why should you cast and release all your anxieties on God? Because God cares for you.

You might think that God is way too important or too busy to care about you and your little anxieties, but God is telling you, in this verse that that’s exactly what you should do because he cares for you. He cares about you and what you might be going through. He wants to help you, to bless you, to guide you, to protect you, to give you peace and victory. It is arrogant of us and disobedient if we keep our anxieties to ourselves and not give all our worries and cares to God. Proud and arrogant selfreliant people try to take matters into their own hands. Humble people trust God. The very way that you humble yourself is by casting – releasing all your anxieties on God. Not just some of them. Not just the major ones. All of them! Great and small! That’s the relationship between humility and anxiety. Humble people cast all their anxieties on God. Proud people don’t. Proud people worry and in so doing, waste their precious time. So do you have any anxieties? Of course! Anxieties are normal in a fallen world. Some of us have more or greater anxieties than others, but we all have them. The question is this: What are you going to do with those anxieties? Are you going to waste your time worrying and being filled with anxiety? Or should you do exactly what your loving Heavenly Father wants you to do: to humble yourself under his mighty hand by casting and releasing all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”. God does not want us to waste our precious and valuable time agonizing, worrying and being anxious about future events in our lives. God is in control! For one thing, when we are constantly worried and anxious – it will paralyze our prayer life. Instead of being anxious – we should be asking God for help by humbling ourselves under his mighty hand through the casting of ALL our anxieties on Him because He cares for us. When we continually take this approach to anxiety – we are redeeming the time and according to Philippians 4:7, God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Let us not be like the ones who say, “WHY PRAY WHEN YOU CAN WORRY”?! The point is clear – worrying and being filled with anxiety gets us nowhere – we GOD’S ECONOMICS (The Biblical Principles of true prosperity) Rev. Richard Mirpuri are wasting the precious time that God is giving to us. But humbling ourselves and casting all our anxieties upon God as we pray and trust in the One who cares for us will put us in touch with God who is able to handle all your concerns and mine.

When you feel the tension mounting,
And across the busy day,
Only gloomy clouds are drifting,
As you start to worry – PRAY!

It is impossible to wring our hands when they are folded before God in prayer. So – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, by casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”